Archive for August, 2010

The Republican nominee for Governor in Wyoming appears to be just another Republican in Name only. What the hell do we need that for?

CHEYENNE — Sen. John McCain says he is a supporter of the second amendment and proudly wears his endorsement by the NRA, even though he clearly joined gun grabber and Brady poster boy Mayor Bloomberg. You see, McCain was involved in a multi-state campaign against gun shows in an attempt to pass legislation he couldn’t get passed in his own state of Arizona.

Sadly and similarly Mead advertised he was a lifetime NRA member and gun collector and when questioned about fighting on the side of the feds in “BATF vs. Wyoming”, Mead shrugged it off as questionable information by “some blogger that refused to speak with him”. The truth is this is the first documented lie in his campaign.

As the Director of Wyoming Gun Owners I spoke with him not just once but two times. And so you know, Mead told me “he was just doing his job”. Certainly Mead wanted this withheld from the campaign trail and said anything but the truth to cover it up, so much for “integrity”.

When it comes to spending, Senator John McCain has out spent his rival spending more than $20 Million, that’s six times more than his opponent.

Again, similarly here in Wyoming Matt Mead spent a record amount of his money, a whopping 81% (that’s about $900,000) of his reported campaign finance came out of his own pocket. How do you spell D.C. style politics?

There are other similarities between Mead and McCain including statements that are designed to communicate to a more conservative base, even though past history reveals they were personally committed to a more liberal base.

Although widely unreported this moderate stance of Matt Mead is even more evident in how he was elected to office. There was an estimated “switch-voting” of up to nine thousand votes. In case you don’t know what this is, it is where Democrats changed their party affiliation at the polls so they could vote for the most liberal Republican candidate, in this case Matt Mead was the beneficiary. A Liberal state employee blogger mentions it here in – At the polls, Democrats are switching over in large numbers.

Another fact, the newspaper that endorsed Barack Obama went out of their way to stump for Matt Mead and after the elections many Democrat voters echoed the Casper Star Tribune endorsement saying, Mead would be most like Freudenthal.

Did I mention Obama-Care is now even closer?

I’m going to end with this, if the people of Wyoming want so much to keep Freudenthal and his policy of licking the boots of the federal government, why didn’t they suggest removing his term limits? I’m just saying….

With unemployment hovering at 9.5 percent — real total unemployment, called U6, is much higher — what’s another 23,000 jobs lost? Apparently, not much to Barack Obama. Previously unreleased documents show that his administration issued the federal moratorium on deepwater drilling despite knowing the ban would kill thousands of jobs. According to The Wall Street Journal, the documents reveal that Michael Bromwich, the head regulator of offshore oil exploration, told Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar that the temporary ban “would result in ‘lost direct employment’ affecting approximately 9,450 workers and ‘lost jobs from indirect and induced effects’ affecting about 13,797 more.”

Also, regardless of confirmation from the region of the moratorium’s devastating impact, the government says the ban will continue. That’s right — the beatings will continue until morale improves. Reflecting its typical “we know best” disdain for the peasants, the administration has even claimed the impact wasn’t as bad as industry experts said. Try telling that to those 23,000 former workers.

In related news, House Republican Leader John Boehner has called on Obama to fire Treasury Secretary Tim “Tax Cheat” Geithner, National Economic Council Head Larry Summers, and the rest of the White House economic team. (Senior Economic Adviser Christina Romer and Budget Director Peter Orszag have already abandoned ship.) Pointing to “job-killing tax hike[s],” skyrocketing spending and a penchant for new regulations, Boehner said, “We’ve tried 19 months of government-as-community organizer. It hasn’t worked.” A political chess move to be sure, but we won’t argue that government-as-community organizer is getting rather expensive.

Administration Hammers U.S. on Human Rights

The Obama administration continued its apology tour last Friday when it submitted a 29-page report to the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, offering a critique of the state of human rights in the U.S. The report is part of the UN Human Rights Council’s “Universal Periodic Review” — the part of the show where nations grade their own records on human rights. Of course, the fact that such virtuous champions of human rights as China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Libya and Cuba occupy seats on the Council exposes this as a farce.

The administration laments, “We are not satisfied with a situation where the unemployment rate for African Americans is 15.8%, for Hispanics 12.4%, and for whites 8.8%.” Is anyone satisfied with that? On the other hand, the report lauds the election of our nation’s first black president; the passage of ObamaCare, which “makes great strides toward the goal that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care”; and the financial overhaul, which addresses “predatory” and “discriminatory” lending. If he does say so himself!

The report also praises its author’s intentions of closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay and ending the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. So the only things Obama finds worth lauding are the passage of leftist agenda items and the personality cult surrounding his own election. For the first time in his life, it seems, he’s actually proud to be an American. Sort of.

The Tea Party has been so successful this election year that Democrats are resorting to political trickery. We’re shocked — shocked! A day before the primary in the Florida governor’s race, GOP candidate Rick Scott touted the endorsement of the “TEA Party.” As it turns out, the “TEA Party” was a shell group set up by leftists and funded in part by Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL). The group ran its own candidates state-wide in an effort to siphon votes away from conservatives. “This is a new low for the fake political TEA party,” said Tea Party activist Don Hensarling. But upon learning the real story, Scott rejected the endorsement — and went on to win the primary against state Attorney General Bill McCollum. Similar Democrat political stunts have been uncovered in Nevada and Michigan, so be warned.

Tuesday’s primaries in Arizona and Alaska pitted well funded and entrenched incumbent Republicans against upstart Tea Party-backed challengers. The Arizona incumbent survived, but the Alaska incumbent is left hoping to make up ground in absentee ballots.

First Arizona. Sen. John McCain, the GOP’s 2008 presidential nominee, faced the fight of his political career against former congressman J.D. Hayworth. Unfortunately, Hayworth turned out to be a weak candidate and McCain’s $21 million media blitz was too much for him to overcome. In the end, the race wasn’t even close, with McCain outspending Hayworth 7-1 and winning nearly 2-1.

Hayworth, now a radio talk-show host, staffed his campaign with Tea Party activists and tried to run to the right of McCain. While in Congress, however, Hayworth had a penchant for earmarks and, after losing re-election in 2006, he participated as a pitchman in a video offering advice on how to get “free money grants” from the federal government. One could argue that earmarks are just part of the game and congressman should fight to get their constituents’ money directed to their own district, but after numerous silly projects have been highlighted over the years, voters are souring on the idea. And pitching “free money”? Not exactly the Tea Party’s core message.

McCain successfully countered Hayworth by running to the right himself. He has been remarkably frugal on earmarks through the years, offsetting any advantage Hayworth might have had on fiscal issues. The senator also moved right on immigration, going so far as to do a commercial along the border in which he called on the federal government to “complete the danged fence.” Of course, McCain’s lifetime American Conservative Union (ACU) rating of 82 is nothing to write home about, and now he’ll be in the Senate for another six years.

In Alaska, incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski trailed upstart Joe Miller by more than 1,600 votes as we went to press. Several thousand absentee ballots remain uncounted, but those are mostly military voters who may lean to Miller. The count may stretch into September.

The Murkowski family has dominated Alaska politics for decades. Lisa’s father, Frank, held one of Alaska’s Senate seats for three terms before winning the governor’s mansion. He then appointed his daughter to fill his seat. Joe Miller, the heavily outspent challenger, is a West Point grad, decorated Gulf War vet and a federal magistrate backed by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. If he pulls off the upset, it would count as the second major knockout of the Murkowski clan for Palin, who beat Frank Murkowski in the GOP primary for governor in 2006.

To put it in generous terms, Murkowski is a moderate. Her lifetime ACU rating is a paltry 70 and 2009 only brought that lower. She half-heartedly opposed ObamaCare but refused to rule out a government-run system. She declared in a debate with Miller that the nation could suffer if the government funded only those things enumerated in the Constitution.

That sums up the debate: Are we a nation under the Rule of Law, or the rule of men? Is government limited by the Constitution, or can it, in the words of Rep. Pete Stark, “do most anything in this country.” We know that the debate is over in the Democrat party — to them, government can do anything a majority can pass. Republicans like Lisa Murkowski and John McCain all too often agree. This primary season and the upcoming election, however, provide an opportunity for constitutional conservatives to begin righting the ship.

MONTE VISTA, Colo. — Hunters who are interested in sharpening their shooting skills and improving their chances of harvesting big game this fall are encouraged to sign up for one of three upcoming marksmanship classes.
Rick Basagoitia, area manager for the Colorado Division of Wildlife in the San Luis Valley, is teaching three classes during the next month: Sept. 7-9, one evening classroom session and two evening range sessions; Sept. 23 and 25, an evening classroom session and a morning range session; Oct. 4, a full-day class.
“Good shooting is not a natural skill,” said Basagoitia. “By learning more about your rifle and ballistics you’ll be a better shot and a more effective hunter.”
There is no charge and each class is open to 10 people.
Class participants should bring their rifles and know the caliber, barrel length, action type; specifications of their rifle scopes; and the type of ammunition that will be used while hunting. For the range session, participants should also bring 30-40 rounds of ammunition; appropriate clothing, lunch and water; shooting sticks, backpacks, bipods or sandbags — whatever is normally used to shoot off of in the field. Participants will not use the shooting benches.
For more information or to register for the class, please call the Monte Vista DOW office at (719)587-6900.

“This year’s dove season looks very promising,” said Ed Gorman, Division of Wildlife small-game manager. “Bird numbers are good and we haven’t had any significant cold weather in August to expedite migration. If this trend continues, there should be an excellent number of doves out there for the season opener.”

Approximately 14,000 hunters participate in Colorado’s dove season annually, making the small, fast-flying birds one of the state’s most popular and sought-after small-game species.

“Doves pose a significant challenge for even the most experienced and skilled shotgun enthusiast,” said Mark Cousins, DOW hunter education coordinator. “In most cases, people miss more birds than they bring home, but a little practice goes a long way to improving success. There is still some time for hunters to get out there and shoot a box or two of shells at the local sporting clays course before opening day.”

Colorado is home to three species of doves: the native mourning dove, the native white-winged dove, and the nonnative Eurasian collared-dove.

In addition to their popularity among hunters, doves are also Colorado’s most plentiful game bird and are widely dispersed throughout the state. Doves are most abundant in the plains areas east of I-25, and according to annual harvest surveys, hunters in Weld, Morgan, Adams, Arapahoe, Logan, Larimer, Yuma, Pueblo, Otero and Prowers counties harvest the greatest number of birds.

Although plentiful, doves are affected greatly by changes in the weather. One major cold front can trigger migration, causing the fair-weather birds to flee south to New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and Mexico. Therefore, Gorman offers the following caveat to hunters:

“Hunt early and often, particularly in northeast Colorado where doves typically begin migrating by late August,” Gorman said. “Hunters should also pay close attention to the weather in the upcoming days and weeks. While it is rare that a cool front will result in a mass migration, extended cool weather can reduce the numbers of doves and, more commonly, change distribution in certain areas.”

As the season progresses, Gorman says hunters should follow the birds as they move south.

“As dove populations decrease in northern Colorado, dove numbers in the southeast are building, offering great late-season opportunity into October,” said Gorman.

The DOW has opened more than 170,000 acres of private land to hunters through its early-season Walk-In Access program to provide even greater opportunities and land access to dove and other small-game hunters.

Beginning this year, small-game hunters are no longer required to purchase permits to hunt Walk-In Access properties. WIA properties are now open to all hunters who possess a valid small-game license.

“Removing the barrier of the access fee makes this already successful program even better,” said Gorman. “In addition, hunters who plan accordingly and do some pre-season scouting could be well rewarded on some of these WIA properties.”

Early-season WIA properties open Sept. 1, and many offer good opportunities for dove hunting. For best results, hunters should search for properties supporting food crops, including wheat stubble, proso-millet stubble and sunflower fields. Areas located near water and roosting sites should also hold good numbers of doves, helping hunters to fill the generous 15-bird daily bag limit.

Colorado’s dove season runs from Sept. 1 through Nov. 9, statewide.

Small-game and upland hunters can also look forward to the debut of the following hunting seasons in the upcoming days and weeks:

The Walk-In Atlas provides detailed descriptions of each property, including the type of cover crop (corn, grass, wheat stubble, etc.) and offers other useful information and tips for hunters.

Eurasian collared-doves

Beginning this September, hunters may shoot Eurasian collared-doves year-round and enjoy unlimited bag and possession limits for this species.

Native to Asia, Eurasian collared-doves are a relative newcomer to Colorado and are considered an invasive species in the United States. In the mid-1970s, Eurasian collared-doves were introduced to the Bahaman Islands, spread to Florida and have expanded their range across the United States during the last three decades. The doves migrated to Colorado in the mid-1990s and have adapted well to Colorado’s variable climate. Unlike native dove species, Eurasian doves remain in Colorado year-round. Unlimited bag and possession limits and a year-round season have been established to help control their population.

All small-game hunters must register with the Harvest Information Program before hunting anywhere in Colorado. The HIP is a joint effort between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the DOW, and it is designed to improve small-game migratory bird-harvest estimates. Colorado requires all small-game hunters to sign up with HIP to help the Division better estimate harvest for species that are difficult to address through a general small-game survey. Hunters may obtain HIP numbers by calling 1-866-COLOHIP (265-6447) or by going to the Colorado HIP website at:https://www.colohip.com/.

HIP numbers must be written in the space provided on small-game licenses.

2010 Small Game Brochure

For further information on dove and all other small-game hunting seasons, including bag and possession limits, please obtain a copy of the 2010 Colorado Small Game Brochure. Brochures are available at any DOW office, license agent or may be viewed on the DOW website at:

The DOW, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and 12 other states are participating in a mourning dove banding project. This effort is part of a nationwide program to help biologists determine annual survival rates, harvest rates and distribution of the harvest, as well as to refine techniques for future dove-banding programs. Throughout the summer, doves were trapped, fitted with aluminum, individually numbered leg bands and then released.

To assist with this research, the DOW is asking dove hunters to look for leg bands on the mourning doves they shoot. Hunters are a critical link in this mourning dove banding study. By checking all harvested doves for bands and reporting banded doves, hunters help biologists manage this important migratory game bird. Because dove bands are small, hunters can easily overlook the bands, so all birds should be checked carefully. Hunters may encounter doves banded by other states as well.

Hunters who harvest banded doves are asked to report the band number to the Federal Bird Banding Laboratory (www.reportband.gov or 1-800-327-BAND).

Rattlesnake Warning

Early-season hunters need to be aware of rattlesnakes. Hunters with dogs should be particularly mindful of their surroundings. If a dog is bitten by a rattlesnake, take the dog to a veterinarian immediately. A veterinarian can perform the appropriate medical analysis, treatments and inject anti-venom if needed. Dogs can now be vaccinated against rattlesnake bites. But if bitten, even vaccinated dogs should be taken to a veterinarian as soon as possible.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife has posted its annual story package for the 2010 Big Game Hunting Season on its Web site. All media outlets are invited to use these for specials sections, on Web sites or in regular publications. Photos from the DOW image database are also available.

These are general stories that provide basic information to big game hunters. Topics include: care of big game meat; what hunters should do if they make a mistake in the field; proper use of off-road vehicles; common violations; tips for hunting deer and elk, and more.

Following is the list of the stories available this year.
– Caring for Your Campsite
– Don’t Shoot a Moose
– Essential Hunting Gear Check-list
– High Altitude Survival
– DOW Offers Many Information Resources for Hunters
– What to do if You Make a Mistake While Hunting
– Know Where You’re Hunting
– Preference Point System Explained
– How to Hunt Pronghorn
– Ranching for Wildlife Program Unique
– Colorado’s Wildlife Conservation History
– How to Hunt Deer
– Avoid These Common Hunting Violations
– How to Hunt Elk
– Taking Care of Game Meat
– Hunting Ethics Critical to Sport
– How to Hunt Safely
– Hunting with Horses
– Know the Rules of Hunting
– Poaching a Constant Problem
– Staying Found in the Mountains
– Use ATVs Properly
– Wildlife Management in Colorado

If you need photos for your publication or Web site, photos from the DOW image database can be downloaded from http://wildlife.state.co.us/NewsMedia/ImageDB/. You can browse images by category or search by keyword. Once you’ve found the image you want, simply copy and paste the image or the image URL to your computer. Caption information is included with most photos. Unless otherwise noted, please credit Colorado Division of Wildlife.

Seems as though the runt that runs Iran has a rather serious “short guy” attitude to me. The Iranian’s unveiled a “long range bomber” that won’t fly as far as a Piper Cub, and, as usual, only exposes his own inferiority. Hum? Unless Iran has well trained pilots by the handfuls that are stupid enough to engage in Kamikaze tactics? The range is effectively some whopping 310 miles?

Now, Iran is suing the United States in that oh so even handed World Court because we (The United States of America) stopped producing one hell of a great fighter jet. The F-14 Tomcat, which, stupidly with the benefit of hindsight we had sold to a rather pathetic dictator.. The Shah of Iran… And then the people of Iran (Which prior to that I personally held in great regard having known many people from Iran.) Allowed themselves to be enslaved yet again! But I digress…

The F-14 Tomcat is / would still be the premier Navel launch-able Fighter Aircraft in the world. Most especially if armed with the Phoenix Missile System… Hell, the go fast Boy’s tell me that within range limitations it can indeed pick a fight, and have a decent chance of winning against the F-15E!

That Ladies and Gentlemen, is saying something. So then, we as in our LEADERS decided that the best course of action was to stop production of this magnificent aircraft. This is a bitter pill to swallow, but I agree. An F-14 will kick an F-16’s ass out of the sky according to those that know, and put their asses in the air on the line.

Let them fall apart. In the sky as they fly toward American or Israeli’s. If they do indeed make it to the battlefield? An American or, most probably an Israli F-16 will end the threat on the cheap!

This idiot, the President of Iran is leading the world towards the war that will make World War One, as well as Two, look like kids playing Soldiers with toys…

Perhaps the Maya’s thing about 2012 is believable? Perhaps, just saying? Iran is perhaps about to experience the full fury of the people of the United States of America? Perhaps the last days as told by Paul are coming. Perhaps Mister I’m in a Jihad? You spit into the wind..?

Right before I left the biggest issue on the block was Elena Kagan. While the outcome was pretty much written in stone well before the confirmation vote took place it was an eye opener when it comes to just who really supports liberty and freedom in the Senate.